It is a key part of Maserati’s plan to expand its global sales to 75,000 cars a year by 2018, with that number seen as crucial if the 101-year-old company is to become a profitable and sustainable business.

In the UK the Levante is expected to double annual sales to about 3,000 cars.

The interior of the Levante is still to be revealed, but it should be the most practical Maserati yet

This seems realistic given the popularity of SUVs, although Maserati is far from alone in seeking to take advantage of this.

A host of companies that have never built an SUV before are entering the market, including Bentley with the Bentayga and Jaguar with the F-Pace. Even Rolls-Royce has an SUV in the works.

To help the Levante standout, Maserati has given it dramatic looks, including a front-end inspired by that of the Alfieri sports car concept which it showed at the 2014 Geneva motor show.

Maserati also says the Levante will have four-wheel drive and some off-road ability, but that it will be primarily setup for on-road dynamics, with sophisticated electronically controlled suspension.

The front of the Levante takes inspiration from Maserati's Alfieri sports car concept

Under the skin it uses the same platform as Maserati's entry-level model, the £50k Ghibli saloon. What's more, the engines available at launch will be the Ghibli's V6 petrol and diesel engines, linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

A plug-in hybrid version is likely to follow, although Maserati is still not completely convinced this type of drivetrain would fit into its customers' lives, according to its north Europe region manager Peter Denton.

In addition to the Levante, Maserati will expand its range by introducing a production version of the Alfieri in 2017.

The Maserati Levante will make its public debut at this year’s Geneva motor show, and Telegraph Cars will be reporting live from the show on March 1.

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